The first final of the day was the women’s singles where Denmark’s Sophia Grundtvig finished as the best U17 player in Europe.
Sophia Grundtvig send the first seeded packing in two sets in the semi-final, and on Wednesday morning it was the second seed Anastasiia Pustinskaia that was on the other side of the net.
Pustinskaia had played with a power and an attitude on court that was unnoticeable, but in the final against Grundtvig it was like she had showed up.
While most of her piers had gotten a bit weaker for each match, the Dane just got stronger and played with power and precision in the final. Grundtvig was one big smile when talking to our photographer and journalist Mark Phelan after the prize ceremony;
- It feels absolutely amazing! I am so happy with my win today and I am so pleased that I got my play to work. The rallies were long and I think that helped me so I am just so happy.
Watch the full interview here.
Karpov crowned men’s singles champion
The last match of the day was the men’s singles final, where Georgii Karpov from Russia faced Magnus Johannesen from Denmark. The Russian left the Dane with no chances and won 21-13, 21-8.
- I am very happy because it is my first victory at the European Championships and I hope it will not be my last, Karpov told Badminton Europe after his final.
One of the most remarkable matches in men’s singles was in Karpov’s quarter-final against France’s Christo Popov. A match that went into three sets and sent the first seeded Frenchman out of the tournament.
- It was one of my toughest matches in this tournament. It was difficult to play against Popov and I had only played against him one time before.
With the men’s singles final concluded it is clear that five different European nations could take home a gold medal; Denmark, France, England, Turkey and Russia.
Find all the results from the 2017 European U17 Championships finals by clicking here.